On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:14:04 -0400, David B. wrote
(in article ) :

hielan' laddie ignorantly stated
:


It was an assassination. They got intel giving the time and route and
mounted an op specifically to kill Yamamoto. That's a textbook example
of an assassination.



And your problem with that is?????

Absolutely none.


Actually think logically... Was there a declared war?
Was this action within the boundaries of the conflict?
Were either of the individuals (shooter/shootee) out of uniform?
Were either of the combatants in non-military aircraft?

The facts point to "casualty of war" rather than "assassination."
I think you should try another textbook or two.
Your's is stretching an "example" to the point of breaking, or
maybe it's just your comphrehension of it.

'Casualty of war' would be if a few P-38s happened by and whacked some Bettys
and later on found out that they'd got Yamamoto; that's what happened to the
#1 Japanese fighter ace, Nishizawa Hiroyoshi. He was KIA while a passenger
aboard a bomber while en route to pick up replacement fighters, in a chance
encounter with some Hellcats. Totally unplanned, and the American fighters
had no idea that they'd just killed the #1 ace in the Pacific, with over 100
victories, mostly against American aircraft.

'Assassination' is when the mission is planned with the specific objective of
killing one particular person. There's a difference.


Had Yamamoto been visiting Switzerland or Peru or anywhere war
had NOT been declared and some yank killed him then I might
tend to agree with your "textbook example."

Had he been shot down the way Nishizawa was, it would not have been an
assassination. He wasn't, and it was.